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History

Slaughter and May was founded on 1 January 1889 by two young solicitors, William Capel Slaughter and William May, who met while training together in the City.

From the very beginning we have had a prestigious, international client base and a reputation for excellence. Over the years we have been at the forefront of many significant legal developments and have striven to maintain our position as one of the leading law firms in the world.

While we have evolved, we are proud of our heritage and continue to uphold the principles behind our success.

Key milestones in our history include:

1889 - opening of our first office at 18 Austin Friars

1920s and 1930s - acting for more merchant bank clients than any other law firm (our key clients included Schroders, Barings and Rothschilds)